While I am really pulling for Cormier in this fight, I see his biggest challenge being getting past Jones' teep kicks. If Cormier cannot effectively deal with them, then its likely that the fight will look like the Vitor fight, where Jones just wore him down. It is surely part of Jones' game plan since he does it so well and Cormier has knee problems to begin with anyway. Jones really went to work on Rampage's knees and I would hate to see the same happen to DC. So how does Cormier get past them, get in close and impose his game plan on Jones? Footwork? Catching a kick for a takedown? (would require extraordinary speed and timing) Something else? Thoughts?
I have a feeling you are right and DC won't be able to get inside consistently. I hope i'm wrong but DC won't have footwork like Gus did.
Watch Jon Jones vs Chael, but replace Chael with DC. I think the fight is note simple than people think.
Will be a big part of the fight. Even when they don't land flush, they stop forward momentum. And they add up over time, taking the bounce out of guys. As for DC catching them, don't count on it. Jones has terrific balance and they aren't kicks he's landing with his shin, it's at full extension with the bottom of his foot. That's a huge distance from where DC would need to be to catch and get a takedown. If DC catches a kick of Jones it will probably be a body kick.
If there is any one weakness that DC has shown, it is his defense against kicks. If Jones keeps him at range, DC's knees are going to get annihilated.
Catch the kick, even if he doesn't get the takedown he will be able to get close. Tons of guys have closed the distance with Jones but they get manhandled.
Except Jones let Chael inside as he wanted to grapple, then pounded him out within a round. Some, including Cormier, are pointing to Chael as someone who successfully executed that gameplan. What they are ignoring is that getting close is most everyone not named Gus' gampeplan, Chael is just the only one he allowed to do it, until Tex that is. Jones wanted to prove a point and grappled Chael like Anderson wasn't able to do, then pounded him out. As Chael said, Jon is significantly stronger than you can imagine until you are in there tied up, I think Cormier will discover the same when he gets inside, which he will at least a few times.
That's complete BS. Don't let Joe Rogan fool you. If Jones didn't go forward with Chael, his momentum wouldn't have been on his side. He had to meet the bull head on, otherwise hed be on the back foot. You can't kick going backwards.
I think people are overlooking the most simplistic answer, instead of trying to catch kicks or eating a barrage of oblique kicks. DC can simply jab his way into the inside, like they teach you on your first day of boxing lol...Just like Cain did in every JDS fight except for the first, it is a highly simplistic gameplan(more of a tactic) that could work enormously well, if DC focuses and implements it. That being said idk if DC will fight like the way he needs to (like CAIN) in order to win, which is why im not betting on this fight lol
DC jabbing from Jones oblique kicking distance will do nothing. JDS doesn't use the teep to the front of the leg to keep distance, Cain had no need to worry about it. On your first day of boxing they aren't teaching you to deal with a guy kicking the front of your legs from halfway across the cage. "Jabbing your way inside" sounds great until the first, then second, third kicks land on your front knee.
